FISHING FORECAST: Hunting for reds in October

Photo courtesy of Capt. Fuzzy Davis The Kennedys set a new record for the eighth annual Hunt for Bull Reds tournament held at the Ford Plantation in Richmond Hill. Fishing with Capt. Fuzzy Davis, from left, Tom , Bobby and Rob show one of three triple landings plus a quadruple they and George Kennedy made during the tournament which netted them 34 big bull reds, including one with the most spots, (34). Standing in the rear are Kelly Humes, and Drew Davis, who were assisting Capt. Fuzzy during the event.

Photo courtesy of George Denis It was a double catch of reds for Cindy Hodges, left, and Kathleen Efrid, who were fishing recently in the Wassaw Sound area with Capt. Brian Woelbe of One More Cast Charters.

Photo courtesy of Capt. Eric Traub For Max Beecher, front, it was a big day, landing his first red drum. He and his dad Dr. Jon Beecher, rear, along with brother Tao, were fishing beach front waters with Capt. Eric Traub of Savannah Coastal Charters for big reds, landing and releasing several.

Photo courtesy of David Maxwell It was big fish action for Mathew love as he shows one of several bull reds he and David Maxwell landed while fishing this Saturday in the McQueens Inlet area on the ocean side of St. Catherines Island in Liberty County.

Photo courtesy of David Wood It was a big whiting day for Lilly Zuchuwitz this past Saturday while fishing with her mom Sarah and David Wood. The trio caught a few trout and then found the whiting bite to be fast and furious.

Photo courtesy of Capt. Ray Golden Will Walker along with brother Cole found the bull red bite to be exciting this past weekend. Fishing with their dad, Capt. Jackson Walker, the trio landed and released nine during a two-hour period.

It could be called the year of the big bull reds. Catch reports now coming in suggest it. The action borders on being exceptional and is drawing a lot of attention.

For the past several weeks, and particularly during the past two, there has been action along the beach fronts and in the sounds that has produced untold numbers of adult red drum, many of which would measure in the 40-inch-plus range.

The most astounding action reportedly took place this past Saturday when the Fort Plantation community at Richmond Hill held its eighth annual “Hunt for Big Red tournament” — a catch-and-release format with a 30-inch minimum to be considered.

A total of 25 anglers on eight boats competed, with the top honors going to the Kennedy Clan — George, Tom, Bobby and Rod — who fished with Capt. Fuzzy Davis, a well-known area fishing guide and Director of Outdoor Pursuits at the Ford Plantation.

New record

Not only did they set a tournament record by catching and releasing 34 (the previous mark was 30), they also recorded the red with the most spots — also 34 and caught by Tom Kennedy.

In a telephone conversation earlier this week, Capt. Fuzzy said it was one of the best trips he has ever had — that there were at least three triples and one quadruple landing by those fishing.

“It was a massive school of reds,” he commented during a telephone conversation earlier this week, noting that the group probably had upward of 50 hookups.

Along with the Kennedys, Capt. Fuzzy had his son, Drew, who also has his captains license and his friend Kelly Humes, on board helping to keep the action moving.

While other teams in the event also had multiple landings, none came close to the winners.

Capt. Ray Golden, who alerted us to Capt. Fuzzy’s big day and was guiding one of the competing teams, finished fourth with seven big reds out of 12 hook-ups. Two other teams finishing second and third, each recording eight bulls landed and released.

Other reports

There have been several other reports of big bull action not related to the tournament, and they have been trickling in for the past three weeks.

One report coming from our own George Denis in the Savannah Morning News Production Department, told of Cindy Hodges and Kathleen Efrid scoring a double on red drum while fishing with Capt. Brian Woelber (One More Cast Charters).

In talking with Capt. Brian this week, he said the action was excellent, and although currently the bite with big reds for him had dropped off slightly, there continues to be a lot of oversized reds in the feeding mode.

As for trout and flounder action, he said the fall fishing now is excellent for both, with a lot of big flounder — many in the 5-pound range — being caught.

More on reds

As for the bull red action the previous weekend, Eric Traub (Savannah Coastal Charters) had Dr. Jon Beecher and his sons Tao and Max on the beach front and hooking into several big bull reds.

This past Saturday, David Maxwell and his son-in-law Matthew Love, headed out for some trout action which netted them only six keepers, then targeted McQueens Inlet on the ocean side of St. Catherines Island where they found some “monster” reds.

Capt. Jackson Walker is another who reportedly has been chasing the big reds, and this past weekend with his sons Cole and Will, landed and released eight in less than two hours. Still another report came from Aaron Morris, who with Bobby Jackson fished the South Carolina waters of Calibogue Sound this past Saturday — also targeting the reds.

Shrimp apparently have moved and catching bait was a problem. They managed to catch a couple of dozen, but managed to put them to good use, landing four reds measuring 20-22 inches and releasing another measuring 32 inches.

“One of the reds Bobby hooked measured 21 inches and was missing half of its tail,” he wrote in an email, saying that it looked like the red had just tangled with a shark.

“We saw plenty of reds tailing in the grass,” added, closing by saying that after they ran out of live bait shrimp, then tossed cut bait and artificial Gulps, but the reds weren’t interested.

Trout, whiting and more

Aaron’s comment about shrimp moving was backed by David Wood, who weekly keeps us posted on what he is targeting.

Shrimp in the beach waters have gone, he said, also noting that he along with Sarah Zuchuwitz and her daughter Lilly, were barely able to catch enough for bait.

Instead of big reds, they targeted trout. The bite was slow, but those they caught were in the 18-inch-plus range.

“After an hour or so (trout fishing), I promised Lilly I would take her fishing for her favorite whiting,” he wrote, noting that the whiting bite proved to be fast and furious.

They ended up catching a variety that also included sharks, skates, summer trout and croaker.

Bait shrimp, tides

Current reports indicate live bait shrimp are still plentiful in the majority of approved dragging areas, although some movement was noted during the recent run of spring tides.

Many of the smaller rivers and creeks continue to be good locations to catch bait with cast nets.

Recreational food shrimp harvesting with cast nets continues to be good in many areas, particularly in Sapelo Sound waters.

Tide levels, currently in the 7-foot range, will be springing again by the coming weekend, with a full moon slated for this Monday. They will drop back into the 7- and 6-foot range as November makes its debut, and continue there until mid-month when spring tides again will climb into the 9-foot range Nov. 14-15.